British duo attempt world record drive

London, Feb 4 (IANS) Two British adventurers are attempting to smash the world record for a gruelling 10,000-mile (16,000-km) drive from Cape Town to London in just 10 days.

Philip Young, 53, and Paul Brace, 50, are attempting to drive across 13 countries and two continents in a Union Jack-emblazoned Fiat Panda, the Daily Express reported.

One will drive while the other eats food from army-issue cans and tries to grab some rest.

Their bed is a child's mattress laid across the back seat.

They are carrying a toolkit comprising an adjustable spanner, hammer, superglue and gaffer tape to overcome mechanical problems.

They started in South Africa on a route that takes them through Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia before they cross the Mediterranean for the final stretch through Italy and France.

To have any hope of breaking the record, which currently stands at 14 days, 19 hours and 26 minutes, the duo will have to average 1,000 miles (1,600 km) a day.

The pair is hoping to raise thousands of pounds for British charity Farm Africa, set up to tackle hunger in east Africa.

This year is also the 80th anniversary of the first attempt to drive from London to Cape Town, a drive that took five months.

The current record of a fortnight was set in 1983 by Brigadier John Hemsley and his wife Lucy in a Range Rover.